Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Riding Through the Spring Thaw

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A day off work demanded a ride. Heavy rain from the previous night along with snow melt caused flooding throughout the valley. Had that moisture arrived tonight with sub-freezing temperatures we would be looking at 30 inches of snow.

I chose small mountain roads to explore and celebrate the thaw, the approach of spring, and warmer riding weather. Even with earplugs and helmet I could still hear the water roaring down the mountain.

The roads were wet and covered with gravel in places but it didn’t matter. I was happy to putt along and see the sights. No interest in carving curves and all that stuff.

I’ve convinced myself that winter is finished but in the back of my head I know that there have been winters that dropped three feet of snow in mid-March. Present in the picture above is another sign of spring — as I tromped through the brush to shoot it I was thinking about ticks and Lyme Disease — something that one doesn’t worry about in a real winter. Give me a rattlesnake any day.

Riding across the valley was a challenge because of the strong wind. I thought it would knock the scooter down before I could run out into the field to make the picture. The Vespa stayed upright despite shaking on its center stand.

The wind, cold, and dampness did drive me on — right into the Pump Station Cafe for hot tea and some grub. Any good ride ends this way for me. Sometimes it ends more than once.

Snow, Sun, Wasps, and Bees

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Rolling the Vespa out of the garage into bright sun and 30 degree Fahrenheit air was a great way to start my commute to work. I left early to allow more time to negotiate any remaining snow, ice, or gravel, especially on less traveled secondary roads.

After a mile of picking my way between patches of slush and gravel I was ready to say hello to a pair of Belgian draft horses out enjoying the rapidly warming morning. Hello spring.

I made a quick stop at one of the local parks that does winter duty as a sled and toboggan run. School and work has drawn everyone away.

By the time I stopped to photograph this vista the Vespa’s ambient temperature indicator read 46 degrees. Had it not been for a long list of work assignments I would have kept riding all day.

I was headed to a facility that tests mushroom varieties to pick up a small collection for a photograph. The main road was clear but everything else was still a challenge for the sporty Pirelli tires.

Somewhere along the line of scooter ownership I learned that Vespa means wasp in Italian. Wasps are pollinators — like honeybees. So in a real stretch I’m connecting the Vespa with an article I wrote on Colony Collapse Disorder in honeybees. If you’ve are interested in what’s happening with bees you may want to take a look at this freshly published article. You can download a PDF version here —> Article on Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybees

Why I Don’t Ride In Winter

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At the sound of the alarm my body doesn’t rally into the day like it once did. The cold air before the furnace comes to life makes seems unbearable. It’s 57 degrees in the bedroom but 25 outside. If I have trouble facing the house is it any wonder that riding in winter makes no sense?

I do ride through the winter but the transition from sleep to awake, from indoors to outdoors, from not riding to riding is a terribly high hurdle. Homeostasis works overtime on me. It is a reason I don’t ride more in winter.

The Vespa idled in the driveway before work. Clear skies, cold air, and a bit of time before needing to be at work.

Once I get moving I’m fine. Happy. Ecstatic even. But heaven help me through the transition. The roads were clear save for gravel and salt residue. Turning off the road onto a snow covered farm lane for a short detour was short lived. The Pirelli tires are absolutely useless in snow. After riding (pushing) the Vespa a short ways it occurred to me that my energy would be better used elsewhere.

At the end of the day I feel the same transition challenge to get myself out the door. Once on the Vespa things improve and I decide to ride home another direction.

Riding along on more heavily trafficked roads is a mixed blessing. More cars to deal with but I get a sick sense of thrill knowing I am not sitting behind the wheel.

Anyways, there are other more obvious reasons I don’t ride in winter — snow, ice, extreme temperatures. But the real riding killer is homeostasis. I get comfortable and have a hard time transitioning. Riding, diet, exercise, you name it. It’s a constant negotiation to get up and go, to take action. Action isn’t my middle name…

Still Cold, Scooter Still Starts, Still Riding

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Clear skies on Wednesday night allowed for excellent viewing of the lunar eclipse. And it meant I would be able to ride to work the next day despite temperatures in the single digits by daybreak. Before the eclipse I picked up a few things at Barnes and Noble (by car — it’s dark and cold and still slippery in places) and while the goodies are always good, they don’t possess the same magic when you sample them chilled to the bone from riding. Kim and I shared them at home.

The ride to work was lovely under clear blue skies and bright sun. No matter how cold it is sunshine always makes it more tolerable.

The ride home was uneventful despite taking a few twists and turns looking for mini-adventure. Almost all the snow was gone. A stop at the dairy store for a bottle of milk, a detour along a gravel road, a stop at an old barn. It only added a few minutes to the commute but nicely unwound a hectic day.

Snowing again this morning with predictions of sleet and freezing rain later in the day. I’m taking the bus. It will give me a change to finish up my second roll of black and white film for this week. The frame counter on the Leica is broken — has been for a couple years now so I never really know how many pictures are left. Another mystery in life…

Winter Riding Devastation

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I’m tired and don’t have a lot of energy to write. But that’s not a product of winter riding. Last week I made a picture of the snow on the road in front of the house as I was doing the morning check to see if I was going to ride to work. I made this with a little digital camera moments after I photographed my bike riding neighbor with the Leica M6.

Winter riding, especially in snow, can lead to devastation. Mostly I focus on the risks associated with cold, ice, snow, and the potential for accidents. I rode to work a couple days agao when there was a brief break in the weather that allowed the roads to clear a bit. But on some of the secondary roads there is still much to be wary of.
I got to work fine but I did notice that no one plows the motorcycle spaces. I had to gingerly back the Vespa over some snow and ice to nestle it into position beside the box truck that was awfully close. It was there first and the only reason it wasn’t closer was the snow and ice. So perhaps it’s a good thing.
The real devastation is mechanical. If you are going to ride year round in a climate that believes road salt is one of the seven wonders of the road then you had better swallow hard. It means your scooter is just another vehicle on the road. A daily rider. And if you ever look underneath a car it is covered with rust and corrosion. My exhaust system is one year old. When the weather warms and the salt is gone I’ll pull it off and repaint it. Geez…

Anyways, I enjoy riding more than cleaning. And the scooter will just have to take it’s knocks like a car. And when it falls apart I suppose I will have to get a new one.

I am curious though how you deal with your two-wheeled machines. I know lots of people who treat them as fine antiques and will wash and polish after each use. Others are more lax in their cosmetic maintenance but as you can see this is more than cosmetic.